The Bird – short story about tolerance

In one of the diverse spectacular forests of earth, a beautiful bird grew up. He has all what it takes in life to make any other bird happy except one thing that bothered him since his childhood. It has caused him a lot of fear and agony through his life time.

While growing up, he has heard and taught a lot of stories and warnings of the hazards around him. His group developed those cautious warnings after years of fights with other birds of different colors on forests and territories. Their need to survive created a fence between them and whatever looks different. Stories and myths where created over the years to pass old experiences to the next generations.

It was easy to distinguish birds of different colors for him. He understands the animosity and history of wars between them. He was taught to be loyal to his group and to the forest he lives in. What he couldn’t distinguish those evil immoral birds he used to hear of. Those birds can be of any color and in every forest. There is only one mark to distinguish them, which is they don’t have a bone in their tongue.

Awful stories were created on those birds. Jokes were thrown everywhere. Even he, in his youth, when he or his friends wanted to humiliate someone they used to call him “boneless”! It was the ultimate humiliation and degrading.

As he grew up, he started feeling something different, something weird, and so scary. He noticed his tongue isn’t developing a bone like other birds. He managed to draw the lines between what is happening to him and what he used to hear about boneless birds. He can’t be like those birds, he isn’t evil and he doesn’t behave like what he heard about them.

For years he prayed for God to grow a bone for him. He wanted badly to be normal. He couldn’t bear the idea of being one of those boneless birds. He stayed in denial for so long.

At one point he decided to face his fear, he realized that he has been born different than other birds. Some birds had their differences clear, his was only clear to himself which somehow protected him over the years. He knew the risks of being different, tried to hide it, and ignore those calls that were repeated every minute inside of him. He tried to deny his feelings, to suppress it, and live normal…

With his realization, he started perceiving things in a different way. He used to see how his group curses, attack and kill other birds that differ in color for no apparent reason but their difference! They used to call them satanic birds, most of his people believed that, except him, he understands what it means to be different, and he knows how ignorant his group are.

He wanted badly to be normal, to live normal like the others, and to find someone to love and live with. Unfortunately this wasn’t possible for him, his tongue was different than in all the other birds he knows, and it has no bone! He knows that birds with such different tongues got killed and rejected from their community. They are not considered birds anymore.

The difference in his tongue has no effect on him inside, he used to it since his birth, he doesn’t know how it is to be with a normal tongue, but what bothers him is his group look on birds like him. He wished to change himself, not because he hated himself, but because of his family, friends and other birds around him.

He didn’t know what to think, as much as he feared his group to kill him, as much as he feared his destiny after being killed, as the holy commandments written in the ancient tree at the middle of the forest state clearly that birds with unnatural tongues go directly to hell. It looks like he is doomed! He has been raised on those commandments. His parents made sure to teach it to him since childhood, especially the first one which talks about loving the others. He has been raised on love, loving himself and loving the others as well. What amazes him the most is that his group memorized all of those commandments and used every chance to talk about them while still can’t get rid of the hatred inside their hearts!

He now understands the source of his group fear of boneless birds. Unfortunately it destroyed his whole belief system. Those holy commandments were implanted strongly in his heart. The contradiction between what is written there and what he is going through is so huge. He can’t let go of all what he believed in. There is something wrong in this picture. Trying to reach a middle ground he decided to search more.

He needed to learn more about himself. He decided to go to the wise owl in the middle of the forest searching for the truth, the wise owl has been a great help for him, she helped him much to know himself better and to accept his difference. She showed him some secret monuments of some historical boneless bones. She told him how boneless birds live happily in other birds’ communities. She taught him that his difference is natural, as old as nature, and is everywhere. He isn’t going to hell. He feels much of a relief now.

As years passed by, he reached his fertility age; now the pressure on him to get a partner is growing more and more each day. He wishes that he can, he used to look in the sky, envying those love birds around him, and dream to have a lover by his own. He had someone who he really cared for, and loves deeply, but his difference permitted him of saying anything, he had to hide his love, and clear his tears alone.

His parents started pushing him to build his own nest, he knew that he cant, it is becoming an impossible situation for him, he loves his parents a lot, and he knows how much they love him, still he cant come out to them, he cant tell them that he is different, he knows that it is hard for them to understand it. It took him years to understand it himself. He doesn’t want to hurt them, he knows they would be hurt deeply of this, as they had big dreams for their son, and would think that his morals have been altered badly.

He decided that it is the right time; he believed that they deserve to know such a major thing about their son. He became so miserable, he couldn’t sing anymore, his body became weaker, and he couldn’t fly as before. His parents felt it, they wanted to know what is wrong with him.

After a lot of struggle with himself, he spoke out! It was the hardest things to do in his life, words stuck in his throat, he couldn’t breathe, and tears burst out of his eyes, he cried like a baby, in front of his parents. They panicked and screamed, what’s wrong with you! He opened his beak and showed them his tongue. Oh my God, his mother screamed in shock then started to cry, what happened to my son!! They couldn’t believe their eyes. It is a nightmare. They asked him to come close; they gave him a hug trying to figure out what is happening to their son. They didn’t understand what went wrong, but they made sure to let him know that they would always love him no matter what. They know that this is their son, and they know that he isn’t evil, no matter how many holy trees say that. They just fear other birds would know about this. They requested him not to tell anyone else and keep his secret to himself. He still has to hide it!

What a relief for him! His parents accepted him as he is, they gave him much happiness now, and he loves them more than ever, he flied ¬and flied that day, reaching new heights in the sky, feeling happy like never before and singing all day long. The night came; he went to bed exhausted, content and relaxed. Slept with a big smile on his face, and watched sweet dreams.

Days passed, and still his need for love isn’t fulfilled, he needs to search for other boneless birds, like him. He can’t do it here in this forest. He learnt that they are all hiding here. He may need to leave to another forest. There are places where birds like him can live freely, they can find someone to love, and live with, they can feel secure, and build there own family and future. It has been a tough decision for him to make. He said good bye to his parents and friends, with tears in his eyes, he left his nest, he spread his wings and flied high towards the rainbow on the horizon, enjoying the beautiful colors in front of him, and seeking his own dreams.

Before reaching the rainbow, our bird, felt something wrong, he can’t leave his nest, he decided to go back to his place, live with the ones he loves, and pursue his dream here, in the place he grew up in, and to work in helping his group see the truth…